Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-03-18
THAT BOUNTY-ruL QUESTION.

been sentenced To TWO years 1mDrlSOn-
ment for obtaining pension by fraud.
It will now be in order for certain
class of Republican papers to denounce
the Judge as an enemy of the sold iers.
-Loncds'er Eagle.
We challenge the Eagle to cite an nu-
thenticated instance of Republican
paper denouncing any authority for in
flicting just punishment for the crime
of fraudulently obtaining pension.
But It may safely charge that Republi-
can papers distinctly and decidedly dis
sent from the doctrine fairly inferable
from the Presidents veto message. that
thousands of deserving soldiers should
be denied pensions rather than that an
insignificant few undeserving should
get thcm.-Lancdster Gdzetie.
Are these the facts Bro. Griswold.
We remember of seeing not more than
six months ago large display headings
in some of the Republican papers,
"Cleveland going back on the soldiers,''
and other lines implying that he had
done great wrong, when the facts as
detailed in the dispatch from Washing
ton was simply man had applied for a
pension who had served two months in
the Florida war in 1888 and had con-
tracted the chronic diarrhua The Pres
ident very politely congratulated the
applicant on having survived this attack
for fifty years, but put veto upon the
claim. And we see less than month
ago n Democratic paper charge Re
publican paper of being unfair in saying
that the President had vetoed four more
pension bills on the 23d uli., and said
nothing about his signing fifty-seven on
that same day. We also see lists of
leading Republican papers, one G. A. r.
paper, the Scout and Mail, of Phila., and
a number of prominent G. A. r. Posts,
all endorsing the veto of the Dependent
Pension bill, or as some call it the "Pau-
per Pension BILL"
We are among those who believe that
the service rendered the Government at
the point of the bayonet is too sacred to
entitle those who rendered il to be sub.
jected to the name of pauper, or to be
wheedled around ana voted as a herd of
cattle by political demagogues. We are
firmly of the opinion that if one fourth
of the time and thought that is given to
secure appropriations for rivers and
harbors and the various other appropri-
ations, and the appropriations and leg
islation to secure political ascendency,
was given to this subject that an equal
izing bounty bill could be so framed as
would do justice, in great measure, to
the soldier for the service rendered by
him. We don't believe q man should
be made pensioner upon the Govern.
ment for simply being loyal to it, with.
out rendering any service to sustain it.
The men who had the money and had
faith in the stability of the Government
sufficient to come to the rescue with
their means, were entitled to the graft.
tude of the people and should be placed
upon the same footing with those who
shouldered the musket and faced death
to preserve the Government. But how
does the patriotism of the bandholder
compare with that of the soldier when
viewed under the experience of the past
twenty years Our Statesmen" ask
the soldier to wait until he is dead, the
records musty and his services forgotten
before they pass laws to give him reliel
or simple justice. Did these same
Statesmen" of which John Sherman
is one, wait until the bondholder was
dead before they come to his relief and
manipulated the bonds to make million.
aires out of them? The smoke of bat
tie was scarcely cleared away before
this was done. 1t is true that it called
out some acrimonious discussion but
the legislation was completed and it
was not vetoed either. And it was done
30 neatly that it did not subject the re-
cipient for these magnificent favors to
Icing stigmatized as a pauper.
Without a pretty full knowledge of
the records in the pension Office it is
difficult to criticise without doing an
injustice to some. We were greatly
surprised few days since when in
formed by veteran soldier, that Pen
sion Examiner Shelley who was
stationed in this county year or two
ago informed him that aside from the
wounded and disabled 80 per cent OF
the 100 day men the late war had ap-
piled for pension. This was shown by
the records in the pension Office. Mr..
Shelly was loyal East Tennesseea a
section where it required no small
amount Of nerve and sacrifice to be 10y
al. lie further said that every negro
who enlisted from his section of the
state had applied for pension. Such
records as these and the many pensions
granted for political services since the
war has much 10 do, in our opinion, to
prevent justice being ineted out to those
TO whom it is duo.
There are many soldiers, and we are
not afraid to place ourself in that list,
who would much prefer to see the rebel
soldier pensioned from the U. s. Trea-
sury than 10 see it fquandered in appro-
priations for rivers and harbors and
costly public buildings. in which it has
become too much OF a standard fact to
longer be regarded as standard joke
that seventy five cents Of each dollar of
such appropriations goes into the pock-
cts of political henchmen, to buy up and
bribe the press to the support OF the
men who is capable of securing the
largest grabs. 1t would bo more
equitable and honest distribution of the
m m,ney collected from the people.